Illinois (ECWd) –
There are 14 County Veterans Assistance Commissions (“VAC”) in Illinois that are not in compliance with a change to the Military Veterans Assistance Act (“MVAA”), which took effect more than three years ago (January 1, 2023). Their noncompliance stems from their failure to hire accredited Veteran Service Officers.
The change to Section 9(k)(1) of the Act (33 ILCS 45) mandates all Commissions to represent veterans in their application for or attempts to obtain benefits and services through State and federal agencies.
Since the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) requires that an individual first be accredited by the VA (38 CFR 14.629(b)), each Illinois VAC must employ an accredited Veteran Service Officer to be compliant with the state law requirement of “representing Veterans” as shown below:
(k) The Veterans Assistance Commission shall be in charge of the administration of any benefits provided under Articles VI and IX of the Illinois Public Aid Code for military veterans and their families.
(l) The Veterans Assistance Commission shall represent veterans in their application for or attempts to obtain benefits and services through State and federal agencies, including representing veterans in their appeals of adverse decisions.
(m) The superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission and its employees must comply with the
procedures and regulations adopted by the Veterans Assistance Commission and the regulations of the Department of Human Services.
(n) To further the intent of this Act of assisting military veterans, this Act is to be construed so that the Veterans Assistance Commission shall provide needed
services to eligible veterans.
(Source: P.A. 102-484, eff. 8-20-21; 102-732, eff. 1-1-23; 102-1132, eff. 2-10-23.)
This does not mean to merely point them in the direction of others who can represent them; it is to actually and physically represent the Veteran.
The Attorney General is authorized to play a major roll to gain compliance with the Act, and it is our understanding that if these VACs have not come into compliance or indicated willingness to comply by March 3, 2026, then formal complaints will be forwarded to the AG’s Veterans Rights Bureau for his review.
We suspect most VACs will take action to become compliant, but there is at least one VAC Superintendent who has become combative and threatened to quit and dissolve the VAC should they be forced to assist Veterans to the requirements laid out in the Act. On a side note, there are no provisions in the MVAA to “dissolve” a county VAC.
